Twisted Reflections
by Sparrow9612
Summary: When an kind, but mysterious, exile from a parallel universe arrives in Kokaua Town, Lilo and Stitch naturally accept him into their Ohana. However, it has often been said that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Twilight War is a temporary title until I can come up with a better one. I might keep it; only time will tell. Here's Chapter 1. Enjoy. **

"_The greatest adventure is what lies ahead._

_Today and tomorrow are yet to be said."_

_-Glen Yarborough: The Animated Hobbit_-

_---_

_It takes someone pure of heart to defeat pure evil._

_-Priest in 'End of Days'-_

**Chapter 1**

_7 Years ALS_

A steady rain fell upon the rooftops of the quaint Hawaiian village known as Kokaua Town. It was early morning and the sun, half-way above the flat Pacific horizon, enveloped the area in a vermillion haze. The streets were devoid of life; all was quite and peaceful...for the moment.

Had anybody been present on the beach, they would have seen a most usual sight. 300 feet from shore the damp air shimmered and twitched, occasionally emitting bolts of bluish energy, which were quickly extinguished by the rain with a sharp sizzling sound.

Then, as though an invisible claw had swiped by, a rip in the fabric of space-time appeared like some great, gaping wound. A small, black-and-silver armored figure flew through it like a bat out of Hades, propelled by an almost silent jetpack.

45 yards from shore, the jetpack was hit by a lighting bolt, rupturing one of its side-mounted nacelles. "Oh hell!" the rocketeer cursed, desperately trying to maintain control. The rocketeer released the damaged machine's straps just as the shore appeared below, resulting in an uncontrolled roll up the beach. Without armor, the impact would have been fatal; and maybe it would have been better if it had.

For if Fate had known just who wore that armor, she might have intervened and saved countless innocent lives from a most unpleasant end. But alas, Fate is fickle, and thus she simply sits back in her chair with cruel, childish hands under her chin, chuckling to herself.

Eventually the rocketeer's roll ended upon crashing into the side of a surfboard rental shack with a bone-jarring thud. The armored being slid down the wall and lay sprawled on her back, too dizzy too move. After a few minutes the world came back into focus, and the rocketeer's helmet retracted into a slot on the back of the armor.

The rocketeer shook a long mane of raven hair free and stood, swaying a bit from her Hawaiian rollercoaster ride. The girl's large, oxblood red eyes, rimmed by evil shadows, settled on the nearest house. "Wonder what they got in the fridge, I'm hungry?" she said to herself and then chuckled coldly, pulling a small dagger from its sheath incase she was caught.

The girl easily picked the lock with her blade, and stepped into the dark kitchen. It appeared that nobody was home. She walked over to the fridge, a spiffy newer model, and pulled it open, illuminating her tanned face in a sinister glow. There were all sorts of things in all 5 categories of the Food Pyramid. Soon the armored child was sitting cross-legged on the tiled floor, happily gnawing on a chicken leg.

A gasp from the back door she had forgotten to close nearly made the girl choke. She stood from her place on the floor and whirled around with incredible speed. 15-year-old Keoni Jameson, nearly 6 feet tall now, towered in the doorway, skateboard under one arm. He'd been out for an early morning run at the skate park. "What the he-?" he started in confusion and surprise, but the blade of a knife in his chest stopped the teenager cold.

A sinister, sharp-toothed grin stretched across a devilish visage, and oxblood eyes gleamed with a hellish fire. Keoni stumbled backwards and fell spread-eagled into the sand, a red stain spreading outward over the teenager's shirt. His heart had been punctured. "It's not wise to sneak up on an armed and dangerous outlaw" the killer kid said casually, studying her dagger for a moment, then licked off some of the blood. "Not to mention I'm as crazy as a soup sandwich" she added, stepping over her victim's body and strolling off down the beach, whistling Taps to herself.

A short while later Mr. Jameson came home from a meeting, and was horrfied to find Keoni in such a state. As the man desperately tried to keep his only child away from the light, the spikey-haired teen muttered his last words, "Lilo, why?" and then he knew no more.

A few minutes later the sound of police sirens shattered the peaceful silence.

**Oxblood: Deep red to medium reddish-brown.**

**Well, that was Chapter 1. What do you think? R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lilo Pelekai gasped and sat bolt upright in bed, covered in a cold sweat. Something was wrong, she could feel it. The 12-year-old rubbed her brown eyes to clear away the sand, then looked around at the dome-top room she shared with her best friend, the alien experiment we all know as Stitch. He had been asleep moments before, curled up beneath his green blanket. Now he was sitting up, looking over at Lilo with concern. He wore rocket-patterned PJs.

"Are you ok, you look like you've seen a ghost?" Stitch questioned. His linguistics had improved considerably in the past year or so. "I'm alright, no ghosts, just...one of those weird feelings" replied Lilo simply, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She cringed as the soles of her bare feet made contact with the cold metal floor. Stitch wasn't convinced.

"We need to get some carpeting in here one of these days" Lilo said, pulling an old wooden crate out from under the bed and flipping through her impressive collection of Elvis records. Stitch hopped off of his cot and came over to sit, cross-legged, in front of his friend.

"What kind of feeling did you get Lilo?" asked the blue-furred alien gently, taking the girl's tanned chin in his paw, raising her head so the two were eye-to-eye, brown against deep blue. "I felt...scared, like..." however, her train of thought was derailed by the distant sound of police sirens, which were steadily getting louder.

"Wonder what's going on?" said Stitch. "We'll go up to the top of the dome; we can see most of the town from up there" replied Lilo, opening up her closet and pulling a green muumuu from off it's hook. Stitch turned away as she slipped off her nightgown and pulled her dress over her head. "C'mon, let's go!" exclaimed Lilo, grabbing a pair of binoculars and climbing onto Stitch's back.

Within less than a minute, the inseparable duo stood atop the bright-red tower, looking out over the misty rooftops of Kokaua Town. What they saw shocked them. The police cars, 4 of them, were headed in their direction.

A worried look crossed Lilo's face as the white cruisers pulled into the driveway. The Hawaiian girl's expression grew even more worried when Nani Pelekai, now a police officer with the KTPD, stepped out and looked straight up at her little sister. Needless to say, she did _not_ look happy.

**A/N: Looks like our heroine, totally innocent, is in some deep trouble with The Law. R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: The other being from the parallel universe -the one who is kindhearted and just- makes his computer screen debut. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 3**

Meanwhile, not far from Sparky's Lighthouse, the air began to twitch and shudder like it had earlier, as though reality had a bad case of poison ivy. Bolts of lethal, bluish energy flew hither and thither, scorching streaks of fine volcanic sand into glass, and blowing an unsuspecting seagull to ashes.

The dimensional barrier gave way, and a short, white-armored figure stepped through. A small silver panel on the being's right chest plate displayed his initials: JJ. He held a plasma blaster in one hand, should danger threaten; hopefully the deadly weapon would not have to see much service. JJ hated violence, and felt remorse for everyone he had killed. However the irredeemable she-devil he was pursuing, who in all likelihood was evil personified, he would make an exception for. Her death would be justified.

JJ looked around the empty beach, eyes narrowed warily behind a tinted, wraparound visor. Within his helmet the HUD, glowing a pale green, displayed vital info across the visor in standard Turian font:

**SYSTEM STATUS: Operational**

**DATE: 8/11/08, 11:30 AM, PST**

**LOC: Quadrant 17; Sector 005; Area 51; Earth; **

**Kokaua Town; Kauai Island; Hawaiian Islands**

**ENV: Optimal**

**OUTSIDE TEMP: 87.2 Degrees F.**

**PHYS. STAT:**

**BP - 135/92**

**Body Temp: 99.5**

The alien flipped open a panel/display on his gauntlet, took a battery-size vial partially filled with scarlet blood from a pocket, and placed it into a notch below the keypad. "Scan for anyone with this DNA signature. Range, 5 miles." The device blipped a few times as the advanced alien computer did it's task. After a few seconds, the computer brought up the results:

**Error: 2 alike signatures detected. **

JJ's brows knitted together in befuzzlement, "That's not possible, scan again" he ordered tersely. A few seconds later the same result came up. Fighting off a strong urge to hurl the device into the sea, the alien made his way up the beach, keeping to the shadows when he could. There weren't many people about, but he didn't feel like answering any questions.

"Something isn't right here" JJ said slowly to himself, retracting his visor. When he left Kokaua Town through the dimensional rift, most of the Hawaiian settlement had been in ruins, reduced to kindling by that sick and twisted she-devil.

The approaching wail of sirens snapped JJ out of his reverie. He barely leapt back in time to avoid becoming a hood ornament as 2 fire engines and an ambulance shot past, clearly in a hurry. The alien used his magnetic grappling hook to hitch in a ride. "Mine as well score some points for the afterlife while I'm here" thought JJ, smiling.

A couple of minutes later, the fire engines and ambulance skidded to a halt. JJ saw what the emergency was: a two-story house was on fire, big time. Searing tongues of flame scorched the red paint. Pillars of acrid black smoke were pouring from every window into the bright blue sky, and JJ could clearly hear the cries of several children inside.

"Who are you stranger?" asked one of the firemen curiously, noticing the armored alien for the first time. He was used to seeing otherworldly visitors. "Name's JJ. Tell your men to stay out here and put out the flames; my armor will protect me better than your suits" and with that the heroic young alien ran off towards the burning house.

Another alien appeared from behind the house. He was mostly red, with a white stomach, white gloves, dark eyes, and two sharp fangs giving him a bulldog-like appearance. We all know him as Experiment 262, AKA Ace. He was, according to Jumba, pure good, and thus a failure.

JJ quickly scanned the house and turned to Ace, "There are 7 kids in the house: 5 on the second floor, 2 on the first" he said quickly, kicking down the front door and dashing inside, clicking on a bright flashlight built into his helmet. Ace followed, holding his breath and heading up to the second floor.

Even with the suit the heat was intense, well over 800 degrees. Warning signals flashed across the young alien's HUD.

JJ's sharp ears traced the cries to a pantry in the kitchen, where the fire probably started. He slowly opened the door so as not to frighten its occupants. They were young, not more than 7 or 8 years old, curled up in a corner and shaking in abject terror. "It's ok, I'm here to help you; don't be scared" said JJ kindly, offering one gloved hand.

"Look out!" cried one of the kids, green eyes wide. JJ felt a boot impact his helmet, sending him rolling across the ash-covered tile floor. The young hero looked up to see a familiar, black-armored figure standing in the kitchen doorway. Roaring flames cast a hellish light across the V-shaped helmet visor. "How 'bout a little fire, scarecrow?" the evil child hissed evilly, gesturing gloved hands -one of which held a portable blowtorch- at the burning building around her.

JJ stood and whipped out his plasma blaster. "Y-you're a monster!" he growled, widening in shock and anger. She-devil (we'll call her that for now) smiled darkly, "I kno-" both of the kids charged out of the pantry with a battle-cry and together hurled a 10-pound cast-iron skillet, which impacted the evil child's sable helmet with a brain-rattling clang. At the same time, JJ fired his blaster, which blasted a charred hole in She-devil's armor. The villainess fell to the floor with a groan.

"C'mon, let's get out of here!" JJ said. Both kids followed him out the back door, where they were joined by Ace and the other 5 children. They dashed away from the house, which despite the firemen's efforts, collapsed and was engulfed in a massive fireball as gas lines were severed.

No one could have survived that...

The medics took care of the children, while Ace and JJ sat down against the side of one of the fire trucks, both tired from their heroic deeds. The red and white experiment had escaped with only slightly singed fur, while JJ's white armor was dulled by a layer of ash and marred by a few wayward flames. He retracted his visor, taking in the sweet-smelling air.

JJ heard footsteps quickly approaching. The young hero looked up to see a blond, middle-aged woman jogging over, with the two boys he'd just saved trailing behind. He slowly stood, using the fire truck's railing as leverage; he didn't feel too swift all of a sudden. Ace remained on the ground, watching with a toothy grin.

The boy's mother, one Mrs. Barton, smiled broadly, taking JJ's gloved hand, "Thank you for saving my babies, whoever you are" she said happily. The hero smiled, "Are they alright?" he asked quietly, feeling winded. "Thanks to you. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to see the face of their savior" JJ pushed a small, concealed button, and lifted off his helmet.

He shook his head like a dog, glad to be out of the confining headgear. JJ's long, rabbit-like ears rose from behind, up to either side of the alien's furry head. A pair of deep blue eyes, rimmed by light-blue patches, shone with a benevolent light. Mrs. Barton looked somewhat surprised; Ace, however, was 100 percent speechless. "I go by JJ, but my full name is Jumba Gregor Jookiba Jr.".

**What did you think of that chapter? The next one will be up sometime in the foreseeable future. R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: A few minor curses. Just a heads up.** **Enjoy. We join our heroes and heroines at the Police station. **

**Chapter 4**

Ever since he'd turned good, Stitch hadn't truly hated anyone, save Hamsterviel and 627, but the blitzgorp of an interrogator, one Mr. Ire, who'd been assigned to question Lilo, was just shy of being #1 on the blue dude's hate list.

Ire was talking, more like yelling, at Lilo like she a common criminal, trying to get her to crack...which was nearly impossible. The girl, clearly innocent, just sat there in the chair waiting for Ire to stop raising his blood pressure so she could talk. After a minute or two he slumped down across from Lilo, his face almost glowing red with exertion and anger.

"You really shouldn't get all mad like that, you'll have a heart attack" said Lilo kindly, folding her small hands politely in front of her. Ire looked up, dark eyes narrowed, "Don't bother with the Good Samaritan bullshit little girl, it won't work on me" growled the interrogator, poking Lilo rather painfully in the nose a few times as he snarled each word.

The officer who stood in one corner of the room started to look worried, "Uh, Mr. Ire, I-I wouldn't r-recommend you do that" he stuttered. Ire glared up at him, "What's the little demon gonna do, bite my arm off?" he replied sarcastically. The officer raised a brow, "Not her, him" he pointed towards the window. Ire turned around and gave a whimper of fright.

The only thing preventing one VERY irate Stitch from ripping Ire apart was a pane of chicken-wired glass. To Ire he looked like a demon from the lowest depths of Hell. "I'd suggest you apologize posthaste Mr. Ire; that glass can only take so much, and Stitch is pretty darn strong" advised the officer. Stitch gave the interrogator his widest and most ghoulish grin, showing all of his razor-sharp pearly whites.

(LSLSLSLS)

"Thanks for not turning that guy inside out" said Lilo as she stepped out of the chilly Police station and into the warm Hawaiian sunshine. The storm had cleared up, and it was a beautiful August afternoon . Lilo was proven innocent, and warned to be careful with a killer on the loose. She and Stitch waved goodbye to Nani as she drove away towards home. "Wanna go check out that underwater cave?". Lilo smiled broadly and nodded, "I'll bet there's tons of treasure in there somewhere; the caverns go back quite a ways."

Ok, now you're probably wondering what in the Nine Hells am I thinking. Let me explain:

_-Near-sighted News-_

_A few months back, Jumba revealed quite a shocking bit of info to Stitch: The alien had never been too molecularly dense to swim; Jumba had programmed a fear of water into him because he knew Stitch's combat capabilities would be drastically reduced, and his chances of being killed far greater, in aquatic combat. _

_In the present, with times being peaceful, Jumba had deleted the aquaphobia from Stitch's mind and replaced it with an advanced swimming program. We now returned to your regularly scheduled fanfic._

_-End Near-sighted News-_

A short time later found Stitch and Lilo heading for the cliffs southwest of Kokaua Town, talking about whatever came to mind. They were happy as pigs in slop.

Coincidentally, JJ was headed towards them from the opposite direction, lost in distant memories of the family that had been taken from him. He had taken off his armor and left it at the hotel where he was staying -for free because of his heroic deeds- with Mrs. Barton and her two boys, Ryan and Michael.

JJ, lanky like many teenagers, now wore a pair of royal blue sweats and a sky-blue t-shirt, which showed off his lean, powerful muscles. The young alien sat down on the sand, pulled his knees up to his chin, and stared out at the restless Pacific. He soon heard voices approaching, and looked in that direction.

His blue eyes almost bugged out of his head. Strolling towards him was She-devil herself, alive and well. JJ vaulted to his feet, intending to finish the villainess off. However, his plans were quashed when spasms of crippling pain wracked his entire body. He screamed and dropped to all fours.

Stitch and Lilo, drawn by JJ's cries of agony, ran over to see what was wrong. Lilo knelt beside him and placed a hand on his back, caring more about this new Cousin than for her own safety. Stitch stood nearby, ready to jump into action should danger threaten.

JJ felt a surge of hatred and revulsion wash over him, "Don't touch me you damn fiend!" he spat vehemently, and then fell over screaming as pain overtook him once more.

Lilo turned to Stitch, "We'll take him to Jumba, he'll know what to do". She looked down at JJ, who looked back at her upon hearing the Evil Genius' name."J-Jumba? he rasped, "Father?", and with that fell into darkness.

**What do you think of that chapter? In the next chapter we'll learn just what is causing poor JJ such agonizing pain. R&R!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's Chapter 5. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 5**

When JJ finally regained consciousness, he realized two things: the first thing was that he was lying on his back, on some kind of freezing cold metal table. The second thing was that he was naked as the day he was born; thankfully someone had given him a sheet. The young alien sat up with a groan, scratched the scruff of fur on his chest, and looked around at his surroundings.

He was in a small sick-bay, presumably on a parked spaceship judging by the rounded portholes, through which streamed late afternoon sunlight. There were numerous advanced medical devices here and there, including a heart monitor which beeped out a steady rhythm. A small computer screen displayed JJ's vital statistics.

He briefly scanned over the readout:

**Patient Name: Jookiba Jr., Gregor, Jumba "JJ"**

**Ht: 4 feet, 1 inch**

**Wt: 115 lbs**

**Gender: Male**

**Species: Kith**

**Age: 13**

**Symptoms: Severe pain spasms induced by stress; loss of consciousness; erratic heartbeat; respiratory distress.**

**Diagnosis???**.** Patient appears to be in perfect health. I am not knowing what is wrong with him. If he allows it, further tests may uncover the truth behind his ailment.**

"You're awake. Feeling better?" said a soft voice. The monitor's green, digital indicator briefly took on the shape of Mount Everest. JJ hadn't even heard anyone approaching, and his hearing was very keen. He turned to see Lilo standing in the sick-bay's entrance with a very kind smile. "Yeah, I am, thank you" he replied. The alien thought for a second that the Hawaiian girl was an angel in disguise. Lilo almost seemed to radiate a dim bluish glow, but it could have been a trick of the light.

Lilo held a bulging dufflebag with 'Birds of Paradise Hotel' printed on the side in colorful letters. It was JJ's armor. He made to get up and take it, but then remembered he was in the buff. JJ blushed brick-red beneath his fur. "Can you step out for a sec? he asked, "I gotta get dressed". Lilo set the dufflebag next to the door and stepped out.

A couple of minutes later JJ emerged from the sickbay, back in his t-shirt and sweats. "C'mon, let's go meet the rest of the Ohana" said Lilo, taking the alien's free paw and pulling him along.

The inter-dimensional gateway had taken he and She-devil into the much-theorized mirror universe, in which the polarity of people and history was reversed. So if that were true, then this Lilo must be pushing sainthood. JJ felt guilty for calling her a fiend.

Upon descending the _Dakana II's_ loading ramp, JJ got his first look at the Pelekai home, resting on durable stilts on a hilltop. What fascinated him the most though, was the bright red, domed tower in the back. "Hey Lilo, what's that tower for?" he asked curiously. Lilo looked up at him, "That's mine and Stitch's room; I'll have to show it to you after you meet my Ohana". JJ smiled, "Hey, I'm sorry about what I said before" he said ruefully. "I forgive you JJ" replied Lilo.

Lilo opened the back door and led JJ into the kitchen. Pleakley appeared to be absent. Jumba sat at the kitchen table, fiddling with the circuits of a familiar, damaged jetpack, which emitted the occasional shower of sparks. Nani stood back against the counter, incase the thing exploded. "Say, where's Stitch?" asked Lilo. "He said he heard something up in the dome, and went to see what it was" replied Nani.

Jumba looked up at Lilo and JJ and gave a friendly smile. His face was streaked with grease. "Pleakley found this up in tree; it clocked Walking Noodle in noodle, hence his lack of being present, or conscious" said the scientist, indicating the jetpack, "Is most ingenious piece of technology".

JJ recognized it immediately. It had been used by his archenemy to great effect. "That belonged to the Lilo of my universe; too bad it didn't blow up while she was still attached to it" he said, sitting down at the table and picking up a circuit, twirling it around in his fingers. He pictured She-devil as nothing but a barbecued skeleton amidst the burning remains of her jetpack.

The whirring of the dome's elevator caught Lilo's attention. "Hey Stitch, JJ woke up!" called the Hawaiian girl happily. There was no answer. "Stitch?" Lilo called again, slightly worried. A second later the reason why he hadn't answered was quickly made apparent.

The blue alien stumbled into the kitchen clutching a paw to the right side of his chest. Pinkish blood ran through his fingers and splattered onto the tile floor. "Oh my god, Stitch!!" cried Lilo, dashing out of her chair to her friend's side.Stitch had somehow been shot. "That is impossible, 626 is supposed to be-" Lilo caught the experiment as he fell and rolled onto his back. JJ knelt beside the girl and applied pressure to Stitch's profusely bleeding wound.

A small, dark form appeared around the corner from the direction of the dome, holding Nani's gun, which had now had a silencer attached to it, and was smoking slightly. "-bulletproof, guess not". The speaker stepped out of the shadows and into the light. The reddish-orange light from the setting sun cast a hellish glow across a tanned, slightly scarred face, and turned a pair of reddish-brown eyes to a demonic shade of blood red.

She-devil lived.

**Chapter 6 will be up as soon as it's written. Till then, R&R!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's Chapter 6.**

**Chapter 6**

Nani slowly turned her head to glance, wide-eyed, at the smoking hole in the cabinet door behind her. Another inch to the left and she'd be minus one head. " Gotcha!!" hissed She-devil meanly. A cold chuckle echoed from her helmet's speaker. She lowered her arm, but kept her gun out.

She-devil had recently modified her armor, adding sinister flame decals here and there, and spiked shoulder-guards. She'd also acquired a flowing black cape, which was fastened around the villainess' neck by a weighed skull clip. A sheathed dagger hung at She-devil's left hip, and an empty holster on the right.

"It was you that killed Keoni, wasn't it?" asked Nani angrily, pointing at She-devil. The murderous child leered evilly, "Guil-and-ty as charged; I'm such a baaaaaad girl" she singsonged, "Bad _and _beautiful" she added smugly. The little beast was insane as well as narcissistic; could she get any worse? Thought Nani, feeling sickened at the mere presence of this poster child for birth control.

"Why did you shoot Stitch, who are you?" demanded Lilo, on the verge of tears. She-devil's helmet retracted into its slot, revealing her battle-scarred face. 6 sets of eyes, and Pleakley's one eye, as he now stood in the kitchen doorway clutching a freezer-pack to his head, widened in horror.

"I shot that mutant mutt because I _felt _like it. As to who I am, well, I'm y-" K-KRAK! She-devil fell to the floor cross-eyed, a ukulele smashed over her head. She let out cackle like the one Courage the Cowardly Dog did whenever he got hurt.

"Take that you imposter!" cried Pleakley triumphantly, tossing his freezer-pack into the air. It came down behind him and audibly clonked She-devil as she rose to all fours, sending her straight back to dreamland. Nani quickly disarmed her, and Jumba picked the evil child up, intending to lock her up in his ship's brig. Stitch was quickly rushed to the _Dakana II's _sick-bay.

**Chapter 7 is up next. We will meet some new characters. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A minor change has been made to this chapter. The emblem was supposed to be a skull with a black rose in it's teeth. I forgot about that until I'd already written the chapter. Any-hoo, enjoy.**

**Chapter 7**

Had anybody been present in the kitchen 2 hours later, they would have seen another dimensional rift -surprisingly causing no damage- appear in the middle of the kitchen. Ten Saurian troopers clad in jet-black combat suits stepped through, and looked around at the humble home with silent contempt.

They were armed with plasma blaster, beam-swords, grenades, daggers, and plasma-cannon-like weapons that had been outlawed by the UGF for centuries: death rays. The dangerous weapons could fully paralyze a target on low power...and cease all bodily function at the highest setting.

On both sleeves was their squad name: The Demon Guard. Below that was an emblem which showed their undying loyalty: an evil-looking, bleached white skull clutching a black rose in it's razor-sharp teeth. A blood red band encircled it, and written in black letters around the band: **United Galactic Empire: Only the Strong Survive. The Weak Deserve Their Fate: To Be Left Behind and Forgotten.**

The Demon Guard's Captain, Marduke, or just Duke, stepped outside and flipped open the panel/screen on his gauntlet, which glowed with a scarlet LED. "Scan the area for the Empress' DNA signature: range, 10 miles" ordered the Saurian in his gravelly voice. Almost immediately the results came up.

Duke smiled a sharp-toothed grin beneath his mask, "Her signal is coming from that ship, move out!" barked the alien, pointing to the _Dakana II's _hulking, brightly-lit form gleaming under the stars. The ten members of the Demon Guard were perfectly concealed in the night as they marched forth.

**Well, that was Chapter 7. 8 is in the works. How will the unaware Ohana face down the fearsome Demon Guard, who are armed to the teeth? Stay tuned, and of course, R&R!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's Chapter 8. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 8**

The daylight soon faded, and the Western Hemisphere of the earth was shrouded in darkness. In the _Dakana II's _small cafeteria, Lilo paced back and forth like a nervous father-to-be, which was driving Nani up the wall. "If you don't stop that you're going to wear a hole in the floor, and I don't even wanna think of what that'll cost!" snapped the Hawaiian woman. "I can't help it, I'm worried about Stitch" replied Lilo, and resumed pacing.

Lilo didn't know what she would do if her friend died again. He had risen from the dead once, but that was likely a one time thing: Jumba had described it as a miracle. Somehow Lilo felt, knew, that if Stitch went to the Promised Land, the Ohana would eventually fall apart. He was literally the stitch that held them all together, along with herself.

Stitch had been in surgery for several hours. JJ had gone in as well to give him a blood transfusion. He was the only one who could.

After another half-hour had gone by and both Pelekai sisters were at wits end: Lilo from worrying about her friend, and Nani from all of Lilo's pacing, Jumba came out of the sick-bay, tired and blood-stained. He sat down in a chair and let out a weary sigh.

"Is he ok, Jumba? Answer me!" Lilo demanded, running over to Jumba. "He is fine Little Girl, shrapnel bullet was being dud, and only grazed 626's lung. Biggest danger was blood loss, but thanks to JJ giving transfusion, he will live". Lilo let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Can I see him?" she asked, looking up at Jumba, who looked back with a warm smile, "He is sleeping, but you can see him". The 12-year-old was gone in a flash.

(LSLSLSLS)

Lilo went down the _Dakana II's_ dark starboard corridor to the sickbay near the back of the ship, and quietly crept into the dimly-lit room.

Stitch lay on a medical cot, his chest rising and falling as he slumbered. A square of fur was missing from his left pectoral where Jumba had operated. The bullet wound had been fused shut with a laser scalpel, leaving a purplish scar across the alien's grey skin. A readout on the small monitor beside the cot indicated he was in stable condition. It also revealed something new to Lilo: that Stitch had a species, the Kith. She'd have to tell Stitch about it when he woke up. She wondered why Jumba never told him.

JJ was sitting up in the next bed, deeply immersed in a Turian graphic novel, _'Bootifa and the Queesta'_. He looked up at Lilo with a friendly smile, "Stitch will be alright after a couple of days of R&R" said the young alien. Though it was hard to tell, he had a very slight Eastern European accent, like Jumba.

Lilo sat down in a chair next to Stitch's bed and placed a hand over his paw. "Mahalo JJ, for saving Stitch's life; I would have lost him again if you hadn't been there" said the Hawaiian girl, her voice tinged with sadness from that incident from so long ago. The alien scratched the unruly tuft of hair on his head, "Aww, it was nothing" he said, grinning sheepishly, "What do you mean by 'lose him again?" he added curiously.

Lilo looked down at Stitch with a loving smile, "Not long after we met, he started acting up and everyone though he was going bad again, but it turned out that his molecules weren't charged, and his body was slowly shutting down" the girl stopped for a second, remembering that dark day very clearly, "Stitch stole Jumba's ship and tried to fly into space because he didn't want to hurt anyone" she stopped again, "He crashed the ship and then got into the charger, but it was too late and he died, but then somehow he came back to life."

JJ could sense the Hawaiian girl was troubled by her bad memories. He understood, as he had quite a few of them himself. Good-hearted guy that he was, JJ got a chair and sat down next to Lilo, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder. "We've both got demons to overcome. I can help you" he said kindly. So they talked, learning much about each other, neither realizing things were about to take a turn for the worse.

(LSLSLSLS)

In the _Dakana II's_ brig, She-devil sat against one wall of her cell, glaring fiery, poison-tipped, razor-edged, exploding daggers of hate wrapped in electrified barbed wire at one Experiment 629, aka Leroy. She wore a prison-striped muumuu, and had a bandage wrapped around her head, which ached to high hell.

Leroy had been reformed, after much hard work, by Lilo and at the moment served as Jumba's jail guard. The other clones, who had been exposed to Aloha Oe and reprogrammed for good, served a similar purpose on prison asteroids all over the galaxy.

As a present for overcoming his destructive programming, Leroy had been given a violin. Bored, the experiment picked it up and started playing an instrumental version of 'Burning Love'. She-devil, who couldn't stand Elvis in the least, was about to tell him where to stick that violin, when Leroy stopped. His frilled ears turned this way and that like radar dishes, searching the airwaves. Somebody was coming. Leroy set down his instrument and armed himself with four blasters.

The door hissed open, and Duke shoulder-rolled inside, instantly looking for hostiles. "Identify yourself!" ordered Leroy, firing a warning shot at the Saurian's feet. "Duke Knell of Gomorrah, and now that you know, I have to kill you" he said coldly, and shot Experiment 629 in the chest. Leroy flew back against a wall, body crackling with tens of thousands of amps of electricity, and slid to the floor, never to move again under his own power. He was dead.

Duke deactivated the force field over She-devil's cell and flipped up his visor, revealing his red-scaled visage and bright yellow eyes. The girl glomp-tackled the reptile and kissed him on the nose, "I knew you'd find me" she said happily. The Saurian captain smiled, "The strong are not left behind, bushi bu" he replied quietly, and then noticed the bandage around She-devil's head. "You're hurt. What happened?" asked Duke, concerned.

She-devil suddenly got an idea; an absotively, posilutely _awful_ idea. The well-oiled gears began to turn in the dark-sider's mind which, unfortunately, was just as quick and clever as her good counterpart's.

"One of the people who locked me in that cell smashed a ukulele over my head; I think I have a concussion" said She-devil, feeling rather dizzy. "I'll take you somewhere safe, and then those that hurt you will pay with their lives". She-devil got her armor out of a storage locker and quickly put it on. "You look good bushi bu" said Duke, admiring his girl's fashion sense. (**A/N: To those who are bound to ask: yes, Duke and She-devil are indeed bushi bu's.**)

The Saurian took a matter spreader -a very useful device She-devil had invented while in one of her evil genius moods- from his belt and created a round hole in the _Dakana II's _thick hull, pushing the duranium molecules apart. He made to step out.

It was at that moment that Pleakley walked in, carrying a plate of toast and a plastic cup of water. He stopped when he saw the late Leroy, Duke, and a not-locked-up She-devil. "INTRUDER ALERT, THE DEMON GIRL IS LOOSE!" yelled the Plorgian as loud as he could, tossing the glass plate at the Demon Guard captain with incredible force. It shattered in his face, blinding his left eye. "Gyaaaaaaaah!" roared the Saurian in agony, "Duke run!" ordered She-devil. He dove out of the hole he'd made.

JJ, Nani, Jumba, and Lilo came running, skidding to a halt outside the brig. Jumba fired his plasma blaster at the retreating Duke and She-devil. One of the Demon Guard was hit in the head, and Duke, hit four times in the back, fell to the ground with his armor melted and smoking. "Nooooo!" She-devil cried. The girl turned to the Ohana with a twirl of her black cape, eyes burning with hellish fury, "There will be hell to pay, I can guarantee I'll return the pain you just caused me a thousand fold; I know who your friends are!" snarled She-devil venomously. JJ ran after her, blaster in hand, but she got away.

"Damn it, we should have executed her, now she's going after-gah, dammit!" JJ snarled, stomping the ground in anger. Lilo ran up to him, "Jumba put a tracking device on her armor, we'll get her tomorrow" she said. "We also have one of her allies alive, not to mention Evil Little Girl has rather nasty concussion; she won't get far" added Jumba coldly.

The Ohana stood there for a moment, staring into the night and wondering what tomorrow would bring. Whatever it was, they would face it together.

**Well, that was Chapter 8. What do you think? Chapter 9 will be up as soon as it's written. Till then, chow and Merry Christmas. Happy Christmas if your English, and Felis Navidad if you're Spanish. **


	9. Chapter 9

**It's been a while since I've worked on this story. I've been working on other projects such an original story that might become my first novel. Well, anyhoo, here's Chapter 9. Enjoy. Its short, but later chapters will be longer. **

**Chapter 9**

_Location: UGF Flagship Lilo's Blessing, in space-dock over Deneb IV, Deneb System_

Ensign Roseka Tanan's brow furrowed as she studied the readout on her computer screen. The armadillo-like Chandoth was young but well-trained, and knew spatial anomalies when she saw them.

"Captain Gantu" she called out, briefly turning around in her chair. The Sirenian heaved himself out of his own and walked over. "What is it Ensign?" he questioned, kneeling so he and Roseka could speak eye-to-eye. There was a 10 foot difference in their heights.

"I've picked up five spatial anomalies coming from Quadrant 17, Sector 005, Area 51; the Sol System, sir. The last anomaly occurred just a few minutes ago" stated Roseka, pointing to the readouts in standard green Turian font with a small, clawed finger. Gantu's solid blue eyes narrowed.

"Can you pinpoint which planet?" asked Gantu. A moment of silence followed as the young female Chandoth typed in commands. "Got it" said Roseka, "They're coming from a small island on E-arth, in the Western Hemisphere: Kauai, sir." She looked up at Gantu, whose expression went from serious to deeply worried. His Ohana could be in danger. The Sirenian stood, wincing as his bad knee protested.

"Helmsman, how long would it take us to get to the Sol System at max warp?" ordered the Captain of the Galactic Alliance, sitting back down in his chair. "At that speed, 16 hours" replied the Tigger-like alien.

The _Blessing_, now painted with blue flames on the bow in place of the evil-looking orange ones, carefully maneuvered out of the Space-dock's berth and moved away from the vivid green globe of Deneb IV.

"Hang onto your underwear" said Gantu as he inputted the proper coordinates. He pulled the black-and-yellow-striped H-drive stick up, turned it, and slammed it back down.

The H-drive nacelles of the _Lilo's Blessing _glowed bright blue, and a moment later the flagship vanished into hyperspace, en route to Earth.

**I'm working on Chapter 10. It should be up in the foreseeable future. For those that may wonder: I didn't make a typo about how many space-time rifts/anomalies there have been. Two more have opened from the Mirror Universe...**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

'_Awaken, my son'_

JJ sat bolt upright in his sleeping bag, stifling a gasp with one paw. He had definitely, most definitely, just heard a voice in his mind…a very familiar one: that of his adopted father.

Never one to believe in ghosts, spooks, or the boogiemonster, JJ looked around the dome-top room, lit only by soft white starlight. Stitch and Lilo slept peacefully in their beds on either side of the room. "Get it together ol' boy" JJ said quietly to himself, unconsciously running a paw back over the scruff of fur on his head.

"You've always 'had it together' son" said that same deep, benevolent voice, "Ariadne and I raised you, RJ, and MJ well." JJ looked up to see the bluish, spectral form of the Good Doctor, Jumba Gregor Jookiba, standing on the other side of the room. He wore a white lab coat, a white shirt, and matching pants. Unlike the mad scientist we all know, the Mirror Universe Jumba never lost his hair, as Clip nor any of the other experiments were created.

"Father, is…that really you?" asked JJ, not sure whether to believe what he was seeing. Dr. Jookiba smiled, "Only in spirit my son" he replied sadly. "The Empire's cruelty knows no bounds." The scientist sat down against the wall, and was joined by JJ, who was dwarfed considerably. "The Empress herself personally executed Ariadne and I."

JJ's hatred for She-devil grew a hundred times stronger upon hearing this. His thoughts took a very dark turn, and the urge to slaughter the evil child and her underlings was almost overpowering. He shook his head, but the darkness was still there, lurking at the back of his mind and in his heart like some prowling, venomous beast.

Dr. Jookiba looked down at JJ, who looked back. "What happened to RJ and MJ?" asked the young Kith, almost afraid to ask. RJ, short for Rupert Jacques, was his biological brother, and the Mirror Universe counterpart of Reuben. He was named after Dr. Jookiba's best friend and fellow scientist, Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel, who was killed by the Empire's evil agents because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and was assumed to be part of a rebellion.

MJ, short for Marilyn Juno, was not related to them but was considered a sister. She was Angel's counterpart, and was named after Ariadne's mother who, like Jacques, was killed by the Empire for being a suspected rebel. Because of the unique way in which history happened, not everyone in the LS:TW Mirror Universe is simply an evil twin with inverted morals and/or a goatee. JJ's brother and sister were firmly on the side of good.

"They escaped Kweltikwan and presumably went into hiding, as I haven't seen them in the afterlife" replied Dr. Jookiba. JJ got up and walked over to Lilo's dresser. He studied the numerous photos stuck to the tackboard above it. "I'm going to kill the Empress, but first I've gotta get her away from Duke and the Demon Guard" said JJ, more to himself than the Good Doctor.

Overhearing his son's musing, Dr. Jookiba got up and walked over to stand beside him. "I understand your desire to see the Empress meet her long overdue death, but do not let bloodlust cloud your judgment" he said sternly, "She is a cunning warrior, and a deadly fighter."

"I'm fully aware of that, Father" snapped JJ, turning back around to look at the Kweltikwanian with fire burning in his blue eyes. "I have no intention of letting the Empress get the upper hand; I'm going to get her alone before cutting her down, then I'll wipe out the Demon Guard." The Kith crossed his arms over his chest with a frustrated huff.

Neither he nor the Good Doctor noticed that Stitch and Lilo had awakened. They pretended to be asleep, but listened to the conversation their new friend was having with his adopted father.

Both could see Dr. Jookiba: Stitch because he was a canine and more attuned to the Other Side, and Lilo because she knew and studied ancient magic, and had taught herself how to sense the good and bad in people, and even see auras and those of the ectoplasmic persuasion.

Dr. Jookiba sighed, then looked up at his son. "It would not do for you to die because of lack of common sense, poor judgment, and too much of overconfidence. I am definitely getting those vibes from you, JJ" he said angrily, clearly disappointed in the boy. "You were raised better than that."

JJ looked ready to start smashing whatever was within reach. "Lack of common sense?" he hissed through clenched fangs, trying to be quiet. "Overconfidence, poor judgement?" the alien picked up his combat suit and angrily stepped into it.

He put on his helmet and U-belt. "I'm not overconfident and besides, the Empress has a bad concussion. I can take her down easy...like this" JJ lowered his plasma cannon and pretend-fired it at the floor, in imitation of blowing She-devil's evil little noodle into gory confetti.

The Good Doctor stepped back towards the lift. "It is your decision to make, my son. I hope you make the right one." He started to fade away, "May the Wise Lord watch over you." Then he was gone, and the dome-top room darkened once more.

JJ was about to step onto the lift when he heard the ruffling of sheets. He turned to see both Stitch and Lilo sitting up in bed, looking at their new friend with the utmost concern. "We heard everything" said Stitch, wincing a bit as his scar twinged. "You're going to fight the Empress alone, aren't you?" asked Lilo.

The young hero walked over and sat down on the edge of Lilo's bed. He took off his helmet, then looked up at the Hawaiian girl who seemed to personify all that was good, and her friend who was JJ's Mirror counterpart, yet far from evil.

"I _have _to go alone Lilo" he said kindly, "The Empress is dangerous, and I couldn't bear the thought of what she, or her Demon Guard, might do to you." He reached out a gloved hand and ruffled the girl's jet-black hair. He turned to look at Stitch, "You take good care of Lilo, she's one of a kind."

JJ stood and shook his counterpart's paw. "If I'm not back by noon tomorrow, consider me dead and arm yourselves to the teeth, and don't let any of your Ohana out of your sight. If Duke and his men got their claws on Nani or Lilo here…" the Kith shuddered and turned slightly green at the very thought.

"Hold up a sec" said Lilo, walking over to JJ. He turned to her. She kissed him on one fuzzy cheek. "For good luck" she stepped back. Stitch carefully got out of bed and took something from underneath his pillow. He walked over and held the object up: it was his Ku Tiki, that Lilo had given him just before he left to be Captain of the Galactic Alliance.

"I know I made a promise never to take this off or lose it, but if the Empress is as dangerous as you say, your going to need this a lot more than me" said Stitch, handing over the Ku Tiki. JJ smiled, "Mahalo" he thanked with a nod, and unzipped the top of his suit and hung it around his neck inside, so it would not get caught on anything.

Lilo pulled her new friend into a warm hug, which he returned. "Be careful JJ, and don't go off thinking you're totally alone in this, cause no matter how far away you are, your friends will always be by your side, and in your heart" said Lilo, stepping back.

JJ stepped onto the lift. With a two-fingered salute, he was gone.

**Well, that was Chapter 10. Next up in Chapters 11 and 12, we'll be introduced to two new characters from the Mirror Universe.**


	11. Chapter 11

**The deceased character Tweak has no connection whatsoever to the South Park kid of the same name. He earned his nickname because he was the Demon Guard's sabotage specialist. Tweak's real name was Caliber Affero. Rated slightly for a very brief alcohol reference in the first paragraph. Enjoy.**

**Here's Chapter 11. **

Sergeant Naxx "Roar" Raurun smiled ear-to-ear, showing off the sharp, serrated yellow fangs of a carnivore. He picked up a bottle of coconut rum and took a swig. A successful clandestine raid had produced several cases of it, and one drink had Roar hooked. Evolution and weeding out the weak on Gomorrah had given the Saurian species a high tolerance to questionable substances. The soldier wasn't even buzzed.

"I win again" he stated, setting his hand down on the large, flat-topped stone slab that passed for a table, for all to see. Roar swiped a bowl of potato chips and stuffed a handful into his craw. The five other members of the Demon Guard who were playing Turian Poker with him groaned in defeat, tossing their own cards away, totally broke. Everyone present wore their combat suits, but their helmets and weaponry sat nearby, ready to be used if duty called. "Not my fault I'm the only one that paid attention in math class." Roar laughed heartily and down the remainder of his rum.

Duke, who normally played poker with his troops, was with the Empress outside the cave that served as HQ, relaxing in a hot spring that surrounded it. Thrash and Slug, siblings of the late Tweak, were with them as well, plotting how to enact their revenge. Having lost both her parents in a similar incident, just as the good Lilo did, She-devil considered the Demon Guard to be her family. They are:

Roar was the top-gun pilot of the Demon Guard. His nicknamed stemmed from his T-rex-like battle cry, which could turn the bravest of warriors into total cowards, and that it sounded similar to his last name. He preferred wide open skies and the depths of space over being on the ground, but for the Empress, he would go anywhere.

Bull was Duke's second-in-command; his eyes were claret, or deep purplish red. The soldier was large and powerful for a Saurian, able to take an incredible amount of punishment before going down, and dish it out with little effort. His nickname was coined by She-devil herself, because Bull had an incredibly short temper, and when he got angry gods have mercy on the one he vented it on (except his superiors of course; to attack them would result in a quick and gruesome death). Bull was unusually fond of human females (something frowned upon by most Saurians). Duke had warned him that if he ever laid so much as one scale on his bushi bu, his nickname would have to become Cow, if you get the drift.

Scorch was the explosives expert, and an admitted firebug. His lower left arm, entire right arm (an alien Swiss Army knife far more advanced than Clyde's), and both legs just past the knee were cybernetic, the real limbs having been blown off when he spotted and detonated a defective plasma mine that would have killed She-devil. This action and his sheer will to live convinced Duke to hire him. Scorch became the second member of the Demon Guard. Bull was the first.

Slug the sniper specialist, whose brother Tweak (the sabotage expert) had been killed by Jumba. All three Affero brothers had been hired onto the Demon Guard after Duke read the exceptional service records of their time in the Gomorrah Army. The trio worked flawlessly as a team, and together had killed more people than the Green Death Plague.

Thrash was Slug and Tweak's sibling, and the melee combat specialist of the Demon Guard. He made a vow to kill Jumba as slowly as possible for slaying his sibling. He was a master of numerous alien martial arts, and with She-devil's instruction, Earth ones too. Thrash took a great interest in wrestling, and turned some very famous moves lethal.

The team's medic and interrogator/torturer was called Bonez, because he collected the skulls of his victims. He was officially recruited into the Demon Guard after saving Scorch's life. Despite his position as a doctor, Bonez was far from being a good guy, and his torture and interrogation techniques made even his boss cringe. His most unfortunate victim that died in just good enough condition to be recognizable, was a Plorgian thief. I won't go into detail about what the wicked Saurian did to him, except that it involved the agonizing removal of a very prominent part of the Plorgian anatomy, with a dull, rusty butter knife.

Callisto, or Callie, was a DG-in-training, and Duke's little sister. He chose her to be on the Demon Guard because, despite being quite evil, he cared about his sibling like any big brother should. Callie was skilled with chemicals, venoms, nanotechnology, and poisons. She was the inventor of the infamous 'hemogoblins': a nanovirus which consumed the red/green/purple/pink/plaid/whatever blood cells in the victim's body, faster than they could be produced, effectively starving the body of oxygen or whatever gasses they breathed.

Last was Scars, another trainee whose muzzle was crisscrossed with claw marks, put their by Duke after he doubted that She-devil, a little human girl, could possibly rule the known galaxy. He was young, but what he lacked in experience Scars made up for with courage and ferocity on the battlefield.

Ok, back to the tale at hand.

"Robbery! Yer a blitzacking, cheapskate thief!" snarled Bull, baring his lion-like, razor-sharp fangs in a hideous snarl of fury. His long, deadly tail swished behind him, eager to curl around Roar's throat and squeeze the life out of him. Bull was by far the evilest of the Demon Guard, and his mental instability made his comrades wary. 'Twas only a matter of time until those last few strands of sanity snapped like a suspension bridge wire.

Roar cackled and pulled his winnings towards him: seven thousand galacticreds. "I'm many things: a soldier, a pilot, and a murderer, but I am _not_ a cheater, _nor_ a blitznack, _nor_ a thief…Fierro" he said calmly, using his comrade's first name, which irked the temperamental soldier to no end. "I'm just better than you; hell, a blind plorgling would be a better card player than you."

That cut it. The Bull saw red, and charged.

"Meega nala queesta!!" he howled. The enraged Saurian cleared the table with incredible grace and tackled Roar to the damp earth; a waterfall concealed the cave's surface entrance. The two soldiers rolled around, punching, kicking, growling, and biting.

The other Demon Guards stood back and watched, doing nothing to pull them apart (would you?) Fights were commonplace between the two. They'd be making bets on who the winner would be, if they had any money left. The coins lay there on the table with a wealthy shine, but none desired to take it back. It had been fairly won, and belonged to Roar. Nobody ever cheated at Turian Poker; it was impossible, since the game was designed so a cheater would be easily found out and beaten like a rug.

Bull drove his huge fist into Roar's sternum, driving the air from his lungs and flinging the smaller Saurian up and over. The pilot got to his hand and knees, "Nice one, but my great-granny could hit harder than that" he gasped, standing up. Bull charged, intending to level his opponent. Roar zipped a hand to his belt, intending to leave the psychotic Saurian with a sizzling beam sword gash.

A rapid beeping sound caught everyone's attention, even Bull. Callie flipped open her gauntlet panel. "We got movement near the sensors, I'll go and check it out; " she stated quickly, picking up her death ray. Callie slid her sable helmet on over her head and switched on the HUD.

Stepping through the gap between the waterfall and cave mouth, Callie strode across the stones which formed a path across the hotspring. A healthily burning campfire, surrounded by several logs, crackled merrily. A few pots and pans (stolen from a house) rested atop a grill cover (also stolen). Mouth-watering smells issued forth from them. Breakfast, sadly, would have to wait.

Skirting the edge of the pond, Callie knelt before her brother and boss, patiently waiting for a reply. She inclined her head toward the ground out of respect.

She-devil was reclining in the hot water, which had mysterious healing properties. Such bodies of water could be found only in a few places in the Hawaiian Islands. The twelve-year-old held a plate of bacon, hash-browns, and eggs (all stolen). A black ceramic mug (pilfered from Kiki's Coffee Hut) rested within reach on the shore, filled with a strong brew (also stolen from the popular establishment). Duke sat beside her with his remaining eye closed, submerged up to his neck, looking thoroughly relaxed. Like all lizards, he loved heat. He swiped a strip of bacon and popped in his mouth. Duke's left eye socket (the peeper had to be removed, as it was too badly damaged to repair) was covered by a grey eye patch.

Slug and Thrash reclined nearby, and looked up when Callie made her presence known.

She-devil turned to look at her soldier through half-open, reddish-brown eyes, "Rise and report" she ordered calmly. Callie stood and said, "Milady, I've picked up something human-sized on the motion sensors."

"Go check it out Cal, and take Bull with you; bring the intruder back alive, if possible" said Duke in his gravelly voice, yellow eye now open and fully alert. "Thrash, you go with them, incase whoever's sneaking around needs a good beating." The melee expert gave a thumbs-up, and gathered his armor and equipment. Callie nodded in acknowledgement, and hurried back towards the cave.

She-devil set her chow aside and heaved herself out of the spring. The Empress had acquired an impressive collection of scars in her short lifetime, including nine slash marks crisscrossing her back. How she got the majority of them even Duke didn't know, as his bushi bu didn't like talking about her past.

"We'd best be ready just incase" she grumbled, wrapping a skull-patterned towel around herself. Duke followed suit, sloshing back onto the shore and cringing as the healing plasma burns on his back felt as though legions of Gomorran sand wasps had started a war there.

"Lilo, if we end up slaughtering the other you and her companions…let Thrash, Slug, and I kill Jookiba" said Duke as Bonez arrived and started wrapped fresh bandages around his upper body. He was the only one allowed to call her by her real name. The others called her Milady, or the Empress.

She-devil smiled at her best friend, "Of course, but JJ and my counterpart are mine; we'll let Bonez have that Plorgian, Plaguely or some damn thing" she replied, stepping into her now clean combat suit and zipping it tight. The shoulder guards had been modified with two more duranium spikes, taking the total to eight.

"You really should be more careful Captain; I can heal all manner of wounds, cure over eight-and-a-half thousand diseases, but I can't raise the dead…yet" said Bonez, sealing the bandages so they wouldn't fall off. "It'll be a sunny day in deep space before I start taking orders from Bull."

Bull arrived at that particular moment. "Doc, if we didn't need your medical skills, I'd break your neck seventeen ways to Sunday for that remark" he growled, cracking knuckles the size of ping-pong balls.

"Aw dang, I was hoping you'd let me have her" he said to She-devil with a thoroughly lecherous grin that sent chills up her spine. To the girl's relief, the soldier left with Callie and Thrash. For a brief moment her tainted heart felt deep regret for the terrible evils she had committed. Deep in the girl's soul, the faint shred of light that remained grew brighter, tearing away a bit of the darkness. Shaking her head, the Empress went back to her typical cruel state of mind. Mercy was for the weak, and the weak deserved their fate: to be left behind and forgotten.

She turned and flicked her arm out to one side. With a metallic 'shing', curved, serrated duranium blades extended from the side of her gauntlet. Carefully pushing the blades back into their niche, the evil Hawaiian girl applied pressure to a part of her glove, extending a miniature industrial laser. She aimed carefully and fired, blowing an ancient palm tree into so many toothpicks. "I'm definitely going to use that!" exclaimed She-devil eagerly, retracting the cannon. She tapped one of several small buttons on her right gauntlet. A red energy shield surrounded her. "Shoot me with a stun shot Duke, I wanna see if my shield generator works right" asked She-devil.

Duke set his plasma cannon to stun, aimed, and fired. The diluted plasma splashed harmlessly against the shield, dissipating into greenish vapor. The Empress shut it off and pressed another button labeled 'cloak.' She shimmered briefly, and vanished. Smiling evilly, she quietly snuck around behind her friend on tip-toe. Duke looked around for her. "Stealth field generator is operating perfectly; I can't even see the faintest ripple" he said.

Rearing up like an avenging spirit, She-devil got ready to scare the frik and frak out of her captain. Without warning, he spun around and grabbed the girl in a loving bear hug, switching off the stealth device with the tip of his tail. She returned the gesture, laying her head against the Saurian's broad chest. He could sense her presence, such was the strength of the bond they shared.

"So, you're a xenophile now, Lilo?" said a woman's voice, colder that the depths of space and thrice as dark. To She-devil, it was all-too-familiar. But it couldn't be who she thought it was…for that person was dead, right? Duke shoved his friend behind him and set his plasma cannon to kill. "Show yourself" he growled angrily. His helmet lay nearby, and he couldn't stoop to get it, lest the intruder shoot the Empress.

Without warning, a tall, lithe, helmet-clad figure de-cloaked right in front of Duke. "Peek-a-boo!" she hissed. He barely had time to raise his cannon as a strong, gloved fist connected with his jaw, sending the soldier reeling. She-devil activated her wrist laser, but the mysterious woman reached her first, kicking the Empress' hand upward as it fired, sending the laser into the wild blue yonder.

Not one to be beaten so easily, She-devil lashed out with a high kick, striking her attacker in the thigh with one cleated boot. The mysterious woman cried out, and the Empress used this opportunity to knock her gun (a Desert Eagle) out of her hands (It landed in the spring), and leapt upward to deliver a cringe-inducing kick to the vulnerable part under the helmet, but the attacker grabbed her leg and hurled She-devil away. The girl hit the ground and rolled a few times, striking her head, hard, on a rock. darkness quickly overcame her.

The other Demon Guard came running, taking a bead on the one who dared harm their boss. Duke stood and raised his own gun. "Freeze, hands up!" ordered Callie, pushing her cannon into the small of the masked woman's back.

Chuckling evilly the masked woman said, "All I want is for you to hand over that stupid girl, and I'll leave quietly." Callie bared her fangs and whipped her tail into the woman's leather-armored back, knocking her over, breathless.

"Nobody insults my sister and gets away with it!" growled the female Saurian, delivering a powerful kick to the offender's side. Duke being her older brother, and the Empress destined to be his bride someday, Callie considered the little Hawaiian to be her sister.

The woman busted out laughing; wicked laughter only a true servant of the dark side could produce. She got to her feet and looked around at the Demon Guard. "She's not your sister scale-face" said the cat-suit clad attacker to Callie. Reaching up, the tall woman removed her helmet, shaking loose her long, slightly curly brown/black hair. Her deep red eyes, devoid of any warmth, glittered like a snake's.

She-devil looked up, groggy, and her heart froze. It couldn't be…

"She's _my_ sister…my little sister" said Nani Pelekai, smiling evilly.

**Well, that was Chapter 11. Stay tuned for Chapter 12, in which we'll meet another good character from the other side.**


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